Do You Want to See an Explosion?
by KingLeviathan77
Summary: Minato Namikaze decided it was time to "bury the hatchet" and finally put into motion the plans that Jiraiya always went on about. If it wasn't for Naruto's insistence on joining him, he was sure he wouldn't have to deal with the sounds of explosions haunting his dreams and his wife's constant scrutiny. Female Deidara! AU!
1. This Is My Art!

**Disclaimer - I do not own Naruto!**

* * *

"Are we there yet?"

A set of legs swung aimlessly from the shoulders of a tall blond spiky haired man.

"I already told you, it'll probably take another hour at most." Minato Namikaze twitched as his sons legs kept hitting into his chest. Maybe keeping the restless boy on his shoulders wasn't the best idea.

"Mom said there might be shinobi to fight on the way. Where are the shinobi?" Naruto leaned forward to try to catch his father's eyes. Two pairs of bright blue eyes met, and Minato chuckled.

"If shinobi actually attacked us, I'm sure your mother would kill me for even allowing them to get close to you." It was a long trip and Minato was inwardly surprised that not even a group of bandits appeared at any point.

"Yeah! As if anybody could hurt us! Dad you're so cool with that ninjutsu!" Naruto compliments always made Minato feel proud. Proud that he was perceived as 'cool' in his seven year old sons eyes. "Who could even beat the _Hiruzen Jutsu_ anyway?" Naruto nodded happily to himself.

Minato paused in his walking and angled his head towards his son. "You and I both know that's not the name of my technique. Want to try again?" Admittedly, he didn't explain the _Hiraishin no Jutsu _to Naruto in depth yet, but the boy should at least know the name. He was his mother's son though.

"..."

"_Hiraishin _Naruto."

"That was totally my second guess ya know!"

"I'm sure it was son."

Naruto pouted and muttered something that sounded similar to "It was..." before Minato's eyes hardened and his hand twitched towards his weapons pouch.

A platoon of Iwagakure shinobi dropped down from the trees in front of the blond duo. Naruto stared at them curiously. They didn't appear to be overjoyed to see his father.

"Yondaime Hokage...you've come with no protection and your young child. I don't know if I'd call that careless or if you're trying to prove a point." A large heavyset man stood in front of the platoon and watched the man wearily. Dressed in the typical garb of a Iwa Jōnin ranked shinobi, the man would appear intimidating to some shinobi.

Minato was not just any shinobi.

"Kitsuchi correct? Ōnoki sent his best to escort us it seems." Minato removed his hand from the pouch attached to him. His eyes scanned over the entire group of shinobi. Memorizing each of their faces and searching for any signs of an attack. Most watched him with concern, some disgust, others held begrudging respect. "Oh. Do not worry about my protection. I assure you that I'm more than capable of watching over myself and my son." Those words could seem arrogant if they weren't backed up by Minato's prowess and legacy.

"Understandable. Iwagakure is only under an hour from here. Ōnoki-sama has been awaiting your arrival." Kitsuchi truthfully informed the living legend before him.

"That's great news then!" Minato's smile was so bright that it took some of the Iwa shinobi back for a second. "It's about time we sorted out all this bad blood. Nobody truthfully enjoys conflict... right?" Minato's voice didn't change but the shinobi before him tensed. His bright presence didn't deter from the fact that this man could end their lives in a literal flash.

"Pssst... Dad? That guy has a big nose..." Naruto's horrible attempt at a whisper broke everyone out of their thoughts. Minato laughed awkwardly at the comment before patting his sons leg.

"Naruto that's not nice. You know how you get when people make fun of your markings." Minato reminded his son of the unique whiskers that were present on his face. A side effect from being born from a Jinchūriki.

"Mom says they're cute..."

"They are. Although, that doesn't mean you can go around making fun of people either." The Iwa shinobi shuffled as the father and son interaction continued.

"Fine... Sorry rock man!" Naruto shouted at the Jōnin who looked faintly amused.

"It's quite alright." Kitsuchi would accept the apology even if he was offended. Minato was not a man anyone wished to anger. "We will move forward as a show of good faith." The Jōnin was referring to showing their backs to a potential enemy. Minato rose an eyebrow at such a statement. Maybe Ōnoki really did want a semblance of peace between their villages.

"Very well. Just one moment please." The Iwa shinobi were confused before another presence landed besides them. A copy of Minato Namikaze. The man nodded before dispelling in a cloud of smoke.

'He had a clone scout far ahead, all the while we didn't sense a single thing. He truly needs no other protection other than himself.' Kitsuchi eyed the smiling father and son.

The Yellow Flash was the embodiment of a one man army. Yet, seeing the man acting like the picture perfect definition of a father at the same time, it was frightening.

* * *

Ōnoki, one of the oldest Kage still renowned for his skill, was seeing double at two blonde people in his office. Their outfits were even similar. The young boy seemingly mimicking his father's clothing. Minato Namikaze wore his classic Hokage cloak over his Konoha green flak jacket and blue pants. His son copied that look perfectly, minus the headband and dynamic cloak.

"I see you're even dressing him the same way. Will I see another damned Yellow Flash in my lifetime?" Ōnoki commented with a calculating stare. Minato rose a hand to rub the back of his head.

"My wife... uh... picks out his outfits."

"Mom says I'm her little shinobi!" Naruto crossed his arms over his chest and looked unflinchingly at the old Tsuchikage.

"Kushina Uzumaki. I've only met her once before but she's something isn't she?" Ōnoki commented evenly.

"You're telling me..." There were a lot of words Minato would use to describe his lovely wife. "It's nice to see you again Ōnoki. You're looking well." Minato gave the man a small smile. The lack of respectful suffixes between the two of them was not brought up.

"I question your eye sight Namikaze. On my worst days I get these awful pains in my back. Living this long is a blessing and a curse I swear." Ōnoki scowled and rubbed at his aching back.

"Pssst..." Naruto was about to whisper before Minato put a hand over his mouth. His son had a habit of saying what was on his mind, another thing he picked up from Kushina. He ignored the attempt Naruto made to bite at the appendage.

"You know why I'm here Ōnoki. I think it's about time that our villages stopped being on edge around each other. Recently, when undergoing a mission close to Sunagakure, teams of our shinobi met. No fighting occurred but that hostility should be a thing of the past. It will only cause more hatred to be spread." Minato concluded his little speech with a firm glint in his blue eyes.

"Hmph. I see that Sannin has passed on his ideology to the student. Peace is a foreign concept in this world Namikaze. There could never be everlasting times of happiness and cooperation." Ōnoki leant forward on his desk and kept his eyes locked with his fellow Kage.

"It may seem unrealistic currently, but it's a goal worth fighting for. The Elemental Nations have suffered multiple wars before, and we know what happened in the last one. The relationship between our villages hasn't changed ever since. How many more shinobi need to be sent to their death just to satisfy a Kage's feeling of superiority? How many more young shinobi need to die?" Minato broke eye contact to momentarily look to his son. Naruto was surprisingly watching the interaction with a small frown. Usually the boy couldn't sit still for a moment, and it made Minato happy that his boy could pay attention at times like this. He knew he wouldn't have to worry about him for the time being, so he focused entirely on the Tsuchikage.

"...Upon hearing your request to speak in person I laughed it off. Surely it must have been some joke from Konoha. The man who became a local nightmare wishing for a meeting? Preposterous. However, seeing you in person, I have to admit one thing I respect about you. It's a rare trait for a man, let alone a shinobi, to really believe in their own words. Even as you sweeten your words with hopes of peace, I get a sense of you genuinely caring for our lands future." Ōnoki assessed the man before him with a neutral expression.

"You're not the only one I have to convince regarding this ceasefire of sorts between the nations. I'm not particularly looking forward to meeting with the Mizukage..." Both Minato and Ōnoki frowned at those words. They were well aware of the state of Kirigakure. "There's also Kumogakure..."

"Good luck getting that brute to agree to anything regarding 'peace'." Ōnoki was aware of the Raikage's volatile personality quite well.

While the two Kage's continued to speak of Minato's so called goal, Naruto turned to the large windows within the Tsuchikage's office. He did keep an ear on the conversation between his father and the old man but a seven year old can only understand so much. Naruto squinted at a figure descending the stairs of a nearby building. They looked to be about his age and were holding a weird white doll with wings.

"There would be benefits to this between our villages outside of death and combat. Trading and resource development are something I'm sure interests you. While I can't promise anything, the Explosion Corps of your village could benefit from some more knowledge only available in Konoha." Minato smirked at the older man. Ōnoki started laughing at the words of the younger Yondaime.

"Hehehe, you're an odd man Minato Namikaze. What's stopping my village from taking this alleged knowledge and using it against your own?"

Minato's smirk widened and his palm lit up with a strange formula of Fūinjutsu. "I wonder..."

Ōnoki only laughed some more.

Naruto's eyes widened at the little white bird thing blowing up slightly in the persons face. It actually flew before blowing up! This person made a bird! He squinted more to try to get a better look at them, but from this distance it was hard to make out anything other than the long blonde hair similar to his own.

"How do you think my shinobi and villagers would react to forming an agreement with the ones who left us in a decline after the war?" Ōnoki knew the answer, but he wanted to hear Minato's response.

"Your shinobi didn't look at me with as much contempt as I expected. The civilians could be a different story. I'm sure my villages populace won't be jumping for joy at this either. At the end of the day, it's our call to make as Kage. We are supposed to do what's best for the village... right?" Minato didn't relax his stance at all in front of the man, even if the talk wasn't going terribly.

"Indeed. My shinobi realize what war causes among nations. They may not all like you, and some practically despise the ground you walk on, but none can deny your strength Namikaze. Going by your previous words, you mentioned trade and resource sharing. I assume this is similar to the system you have in place with Suna?" Ōnoki and Minato, two shinobi that were more powerful than any in their villages, didn't realize the absence of Naruto.

"Yes. Sunagakure receives these benefits and with a agreement from the Daimyō, even some missions are circulated through the villages. The pay and such are sorted out by agreement of both parties."

Ōnoki tapped his fingers against his desk as he stared at the Yellow Flash. Suddenly, he raised his hand in a simple hand sign and Minato tensed considerably. A small rock formation resembling a chair appeared behind Minato. The Yondaime Hokage eyed the Tsuchikage suspiciously before Ōnoki scoffed.

"It's not a trap fool. I've been alive far longer than you have, and you think my best trap would involve a chair made of rock? Insulting." Ōnoki flatly looked at the blond man. Minato sighed before seating himself on the chair, knowing this meeting was only just beginning.

'It's not very comfortable though... Konoha definitely has better chairs for their guests.'

If Minato peeked out the window for a brief moment, he would have noticed his son pursuing another blonde haired person.

* * *

A small blonde girl entered a small training area close to the mountainous terrain of Iwagakure. Dressed in a simple bright green shirt and matching shorts, she stuck her hands into two pouches situated on her hips. Her slanted blue eyes narrowed at the trees before her. For a few seconds she stood still, before suddenly throwing her hands out and two small bird like creatures flew out of the palms. They were pure white and slowly flapped their wings towards the trees. She waited with baited breath as they exploded upon impact...

Nothing. The tree didn't even shake from the impact. Her hands shot up to her hair and ruffled it furiously. Her blonde hair styled in a ponytail waved about from her motions. Upon stopping her frantic movement, a long bang of her blonde hair covered her left eye and she sighed.

"Wow! How'd you do that?! What was that?!" An excited voice startled her, and she hid her hands behind her back quickly. Turning her head with panic showing in her uncovered eye, she looked shocked at the person before her. He was blond, just like her and he had a whisker markings on his face. They were currently spread wide with his toothy grin. His sparkling eyes were filled with wonder and amazement at her technique. She can safely say she's never seen this boy before.

"Well? You gonna answer?! You made those birds fly!" Naruto walked closer to the girl with no hesitation. She didn't move a muscle as he approached.

"Hey? You okay?" Naruto began to frown when he noticed she was frozen in place. Was it something he said to her? He just wanted to know about that jutsu with the birds. The explosion was badass too! He was only allowed to use that word inside his head or his mother would somehow find out.

"Who are you...? Did Tsuchikage-sama send you?" She looked worried at that question. Naruto scratched at his cheek with a finger before shaking his head in the negative.

"Nah. I left Dad behind to follow you. He was talking to the old man about a lot of important things. Then I saw that little bird you made blow up and I had to see more!" Naruto's answer made the girls blue eye widen.

"You needed to see more?" She asked him slowly.

"Yeah! Show me it again please! I love seeing all types of ninjutsu ya know?"

The girl felt a smile coming to her face, and fortunately she could pinpoint the reason. He _wanted_ to see more. He didn't consider it annoying like other kids in the village.

"...Fine! I'll show you my art, yeah!" Her personality completely flipped, and Naruto was confused before disregarding it as unimportant.

"This is called art jutsu? I thought art was paintings and stuff?" Naruto tilted his head at her. The girl, keeping her hands behind her back still, shook her head fiercely.

"No no! This is true art. Paintings and stuff aren't the same as this art, yeah. Art... art is an explosion!" She shouted at him and Naruto started laughing.

"Wow, you like this art! Well, I like it too!" Naruto didn't share the same passion that was present in her voice, but he was extremely interested now. She eyed him head to toe quickly and nodded to herself.

"I'm Deidara..." She introduced herself but kept her hands hidden. Naruto threw her a cheeky wave and followed her example.

"I'm Naruto! So are you going to show me some more art?"

Deidara was beginning to get excited at the idea of someone caring about her art before panic set in once more. The way she performed her art. Her Kekkei Genkai, the one she inherited from birth, was enhanced with a forbidden technique that she received from Ōnoki. It was a Kinjutsu that he believed only she was capable of utilizing. She also promised to join the famed Explosion Corps when becoming a shinobi as a result of this gift. There was one downside for the seven year old girl to creating her art. While the adults and shinobi looked at her art somewhat appreciatively, kids her age stood away from her. She was considered a freak and weirdo. They even made fun of her verbal tick whenever bullying her.

"Deidara? Deidaraaa? Deidara?" Naruto snapped his fingers loudly in front her face and Deidara blinked before looking away.

"Naruto, um, my art is... different yeah. Do you promise not to make fun of it?" It was a childish question, but then again, they were children. Naruto nodded seriously at the girl. He had a bad habit of running his mouth, except this situation seemed different. She looked sad when asking him that question and he didn't want to scare her away.

"I promise. Dad says a shinobi never goes back on his word. I may not be a shinobi yet, but it doesn't matter!" Naruto's eyes were determined, and it made Deidara calm down slightly.

Her hands clenched into fists before she stuffed them into the pouches on her sides. Naruto watched with rapt attention. He thought he heard something similar to a chewing sound for a moment.

Deidara removed her hands and Naruto had to resist bouncing up and down. Would the explosion be bigger? Would it be a bigger bird? Maybe a different animal?

She opened her palms.

Naruto's mouth opened at the sight before him. Yes, two small birds sat on the palms. That wasn't what captured his attention. There were two mouths, actual mouths, attached to her hands. Deidara noticed his reaction and felt her lip quiver. Would he make fun of her now too? Is he going to call her a monster or freak show?

"EH?! You have mouths on your hands! How?! Deidara that's so freaking cool! Hey hey, do they eat? Do they talk? Can they talk to me?" Naruto's rapid fire questioning made Deidara's grip weaken on her clay art. She had to remember that they were indeed responsive right now and they could blow up if they impacted a surface. She needed to work on that. For now though...

"You... don't think I'm a freak? Do you think I look like a monster?" Deidara expected him to have second thoughts. Maybe even move away from her. She was proven extremely wrong when Naruto got into her personal space to grab at her hands. Her uncovered eye watched him closely.

"No way! Oh man, if I had more mouths, I could probably eat way more ramen! Mom would hate that... maybe that's not a good idea for me. It's still cool for you though!" Naruto started poking at the palm of her hand, which she willed close after creating the clay explosives.

'Why's he so okay with this? Do... do I actually have a fan of my art? He's my first fan! This is my big break, yeah!' Deidara started to grin even more. This boy, he was supporting her art more than anyone else has besides the Tsuchikage. Her first fan, she couldn't believe it. Her blue eye sought out Naruto's and her grin mirrored his own, all traces of anxiety were gone.

"Naruto, yeah. Do you want to see an explosion?!"

Naruto and Deidara's matching facial expressions would cause a lot of headaches in the coming future for both Kage's of their villages.

* * *

"You realize I'll have to present this to the Daimyō first before giving you an honest answer." Ōnoki leaned back in his cushioned chair and watched the blond Hokage squirm. He held back the smirk at the uncomfortable one man army.

Minato hated this hastily made rock chair, but he nodded at the Kage nonetheless. "That's fine. I would say I can leave you a kunai to call me when you receive an answer, although I doubt you'd want that."

"Allow the esteemed Yellow Flash easy access to my village? How would that look?" Ōnoki asked the man rhetorically.

"Haha... yeah..." Minato rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"I'm not opposed to having you remain here for a few days. Word can be sent out today and luckily our Daimyō is rather responsive in his older years. We should have an answer back shortly." Ōnoki wasn't thrilled at housing the Yellow Flash in his village, with no protection at that, but if they were really going to thrive for this alliance then it was a step in the right direction.

"I wouldn't mind that either. Hiruzen-sama is overlooking my duties until my return." Minato had no concerns about his safety. One flash was all it took to return to Konoha. He could protect himself and... Naruto... "Huh? Naruto?" Minato shot up from the man made chair to frantically look around the room for his son. Ōnoki blinked in confusion before his own eyes widened. How the hell could they not notice the boys disappearance? The Hokage breathed in deeply to calm himself, judging by the Tsuchikage's own shock, it wasn't a kidnapping. Besides, if someone dared try something like that, Minato had Naruto marked since birth.

"Ōnoki, I have a marking on Naruto. I'm going to find him now." Minato turned to the elder and turned on his Hokage persona.

"Let me join you. I can't have you flashing around my village alone and causing panic." Ōnoki also wondered how it felt to teleport with that fabled jutsu. The one that decimated Iwa's forces and many others.

"Understandable. Can I grab onto your shoulder?" Minato knew this required a great deal of trust. All it took was one move and Minato could end the old man's reign. Ōnoki thought quietly to himself for a few seconds before agreeing.

"Make it quick Namikaze brat." With that, Minato gently grasped the Kage's shoulder and focused on one specific marker. He's marked both Naruto and Kushina countless times. In Kushina's case, he had one directly onto her seal and some other hidden places.

They vanished from the Tsuchikage's office in a flash and Ōnoki steadied his floating body. The speed and pull he felt from just being a tag along on that jutsu was incredible. He looked at Minato with slightly more respect for a moment before observing the situation before him.

"Dad? Old man? What the heck are you doin' here?" Naruto dropped the brown rocks he was holding when he noticed his father flash in front of him with the Tsuchikage.

"Naruto! You're safe!" Minato pulled his son close to him for a second and showed Ōnoki one weakness the unstoppable man truly had. His child. A weakness that Ōnoki could relate to.

"Of course I am Dad! Let me go... this is embarrassing ya know?" Naruto wiggled out of his father's hold and pushed past him. Minato and Ōnoki followed his every movement. "Yo! Deidara, can we do it again?! Maybe you can even show my Dad!" Naruto called out and Minato furrowed his brow in confusion. That's when he noticed a small blonde girl peeking out from behind a tree. Her hands were closed tightly. Ōnoki also looked surprised at her appearance.

Deidara hid behind that tree for one specific reason. It was a scary tale some children of the village spoke about. It involved seeing that yellow flash. The second she saw it appear before Naruto, the stories she heard from others came to her mind. Like any other child who believed the scary story, she didn't want to stick around. Naruto's shout did alert her and resulted in her peeking out.

"Deidara? Come on, we can do the thing with your art again. Dad's been teaching me how to throw weapons so I can definitely nail them this time with these rocks." Before the Kage's arrival, Deidara would make a few clay birds and release them into the air. Naruto made attempts to blow them up before they either impacted with a tree or she manually detonated them. The explosions weren't exactly large but they both enjoyed seeing them.

Minato frowned at the sight of the scared girl. He figured it must be due to his presence. Making sure to reprimand Naruto about leaving his side later, Minato cleared his throat.

"Deidara is it? I'm sorry for surprising you with my jutsu. Naruto is my son and I got very worried when he disappeared on me. Please, don't hide. I mean no harm." Minato gave his best smile at the wide eyed girl. Deidara mentally compared the two smiles the father and son seemed to wear.

"Deidara. Allow me to see what you've been doing with Namikaze's boy this whole time." Ōnoki floated next to the Yondaime Hokage. He knew this young girl quite well. Orphaned from a young age but she had a ridiculous ability for explosives. Upon allowing her to utilize a kinjutsu, Ōnoki assured her enrollment to the villages Explosive Corps in the future. It wasn't reckless to allow her access to a forbidden technique considering he was the one who supervised her for the most part.

"... Okay Tsuchikage-sama. Naruto, want to try again yeah?" Deidara opened up her slightly shaky hands and tried to ignore the older blond man. Naruto jumped up happily and got to her side in a instant. Minato watched on in wonder. His boy was getting along so well with someone from a different village. One that wasn't an ally. He turned to look at Ōnoki and the man was watching the interaction attentively.

"Whenever you're ready!" Naruto smiled happily at the girl. Her own smile bloomed for two reasons. Explosions and having someone being this excited for her art. It made her face warm up considerably.

"Alright! Let's show them true art, yeah!" Deidara stuffed her hands into the pouches on her person and Naruto bounced in place. Minato focused intently on the action the young girl was performing. Her hands whipped out of the pouches and flung forward. Four small birds of what appeared to be white clay flew into the open air. Naruto grinned and held up four small rocks, his eyes traced the clay birds flight before he twisted his own hand and flicked the rocks forward. Minato held back the prideful smile at the textbook throw.

The rocks did hit their target and four small explosions went off simultaneously. Deidara's eyes lit up at the sight. There was a certain thrill she got from anything involving explosions. Naruto gave his own sound of satisfaction before turning to the girl. He raised his hand up in the universal sign for a high five and Deidara reacted without thinking. Their hands hit each other with matching smiles once more.

"I think your mouth just licked me..." Naruto commented with a odd look. Deidara's cheeks tinted red at that.

"It did not! You're imagining things! The awesome explosion is messing with your head, yeah!" Deidara argued back.

"My hand is wet though." Naruto felt his palm for proof.

"Naruto!" She shouted at him in embarrassment.

Minato heard the conversation after watching the small showing of explosions. It was certainly impressive. On both accounts. The girl was able to produce tiny explosives out of some sort of clay and Naruto's ability to hit a moving target was perfect.

"It's a village technique. Don't worry about it Namikaze." Ōnoki told the Hokage quickly. They might become allies, but that didn't mean he would tell the man about village secrets.

"Mouths? On her hands...?" Minato whispered and wasn't sure how to take that. His son certainly didn't seem to mind judging by the high five and attitude. In fact, the blonde girl was chasing his son playfully now.

"Like I said, village technique. Should I ask you about your flashy moves?" Ōnoki eyed the man with annoyance.

"Oh? I'll be glad to explain the fūinjutsu behind it. Do you think you could keep up?" Minato was being cocky and the grumble from the Tsuchikage made him grin.

"It's interesting though isn't it? The girl has probably heard those stories about you but she interacts with your son easily. Maybe she's too young to understand the severity of it all. That doesn't change how quickly she warmed up to your brat. Nobody her age wants anything to do with her." Ōnoki explained to the Hokage while watching the two children.

Minato stood in silence for a minute and observed the carefree smiles on the children's faces. Even as Deidara chased him, she looked happy to do so.

"Remember how I mentioned your division of shinobi could benefit from Konoha?" Minato asked Ōnoki once more.

"Hm?" The Tsuchikage hummed.

"I think we are looking at the future of explosives for both villages."

Ōnoki began to chuckle again. The Yondaime Hokage was almost as amusing as he is powerful. Then his aged face turned serious, genuinely pondering this words. The Explosion Division of Iwa were the best at their jobs. Deidara's potential was overwhelming enough by herself, but with Naruto's involvement and by extension Konoha's...

"If you move I'll blow them up, yeah!" Deidara created small caterpillar clay explosives and had them crawl on Naruto's legs. They would barely do much damage at her current level but in the future that could easily remove a person's legs.

"What if I did... this!"

"Naruto get off me!"

"Nope!"

Naruto held the girl in a bear hug and laughed loudly. The Tsuchikage sighed to himself before turning to his fellow Kage.

"... I find myself hoping for the Daimyō's approval."

Minato's laugh mixed with his sons as it rang throughout the rocky clearing.

* * *

**A/N - **Anotha One. Another idea that was on my phone for over four months and I never got around to posting it. Female Deidara. Why? Because... who knows anymore. Yeah Minato and Kushina are alive. Naruto doesn't have Kurama. Minato is pursuing peace and in this case he went for Iwa first.

Deidara is obviously changed here, you know by being a girl. And the age. SHE is the same age as Naruto.

Oh. Yeah Minato is crazy strong here of course. Mans is a monster when you look at how powerful his jutsu is. Put some respect on my guys name.

Let me know what you guys think. Adding another story to my already packed list of stories I need to update... haha... whoops.


	2. Two Art Connoisseur's

**Disclaimer – I do not own Naruto!**

* * *

"You better have a clone watching him. I swear Minato..."

The famed Yellow Flash waved his hands rapidly to calm down his wife and prevent any threats from being thrown his way.

"Of course I have a clone with him! I came back just to let you know that I'll probably be there for another week at most. Did you miss me?" Minato gave his wife an award winning smile, one that used to make her swoon after she got past calling him flaky and girly.

"Yeah yeah, that's great." Minato's smile fell dramatically. "How is my baby boy? Has anyone been threatening him because he's your son? Is anyone trying to attack him?" Kushina Uzumaki's hand inched towards the frying pan at her side. Minato decided to flash right into the kitchen while she was making lunch.

"Naruto is doing great actually. Nobody is threatening him and there's certainly no attacks. Ōnoki has really changed compared to the stories Hiruzen-sama told us from the past. Especially since he actually seems to want to go along with this treaty between our villages." Minato was impressed with the fence sitters attitude. Iwa was notorious for being hard to deal with, no pun intended.

"He is getting up there in age, maybe he's done being a hard ass." Kushina explained with little tact. Minato always informed his wife on anything relating to his Hokage business. There was no one he trusted more to confide in. She really was his other half. The red haired Uzumaki shrugged to herself and leant over to her husband before pecking him quickly on the lips. "I did miss you by the way. My baby boy comes first though. Sorry not sorry." He chuckled at her attitude.

Minato completely understood it though. Naruto was the most important thing in both of their lives. Both of them were proud to be the parents of such a healthy young boy.

"I told him I would be coming here, but he's been a bit... distracted." Here comes the part he was worried about.

"Distracted? Are you teaching him something?" Kushina was rightfully confused. While they did teach Naruto some aspects of being a shinobi, she didn't expect him to teach their son while in another village.

"Not exactly." Minato rose his hand to the back of his neck. Kushina narrowed her eyes at the action. That was Minato's tell for being nervous, something Naruto seemed to have as well. That boy inherited something from both of them.

"I can tell you're nervous." She accused him.

"He made a friend." Minato told her quickly. Kushina blinked at her husband for a few seconds.

"Okay?" He was nervous about that? What a weird Hokage. "What's the name of this Iwa boy that he's friends with? I'm glad he's making more friends you know? Besides little Sasuke and a few others, he doesn't have many." She didn't see the problem with this.

"... _Her _name is Deidara." Minato began focusing on the kunai he left all the way in Iwa with his clone. The man was ready with a quick escape for a reason.

"A girl? A foreign girl!" Kushina glared at her husband.

"Come on Kushina-chan. He connected to her instantly. You should see how cute it is when they run around and she threatens to... blow... his legs off... wait..." Minato stopped himself from running his mouth when his wife's glare intensified.

"A foreign girl is trying to blow my sons legs off and you're allowing this?!" Kushina took small steps closer to the sweating Hokage.

"I wouldn't exactly call her foreign..."

"I don't care!" She was dangerously close to him now. Minato watched the bright red hair get close to his face. His nose twitched.

"What happened the last time we introduced him to a girl?! Inoichi's daughter asked him to marry her in the future! Marriage Minato. They spoke for twelve minutes. Also, Hiashi's daughter stared at him and I just know she activated those eyes! Now you expect me to allow my baby boy to be around a Iwa girl who's trying to remove his legs?" Kushina ranted loudly.

"... Is that a new shampoo? It suits you." Minato widened his eyes and teleported away in a flash.

Kushina's fist hit the wall that Minato's head previously leant against, her eyes twitching at her husband's cowardly exit.

"Stupid flaky boy... running away..." She muttered an insult to her husband's previously very feminine looks. In her eyes at least.

Kushina originally didn't mind her son interacting with the opposite gender, not at all. However, every girl his age in Konoha seemed to be enamored with the boy, not that she could really blame them, her son was adorable. 'That's beside the point! This girl is threatening to take his legs off!' Kushina didn't want her precious boy to have to deal with girls at his age, especially foreigners that wanted his legs. Nobody was good enough for her Naruto.

"Deidara..."

Kushina would remember that name. Moms always remember.

Minato would also be spending a week on the couch for his little stunt.

Her face tinted red at one stray thought that crossed her mind. She still didn't agree with the placement of his damn _Hiraishin_ mark on her body. That's how he always teleported to her, no matter where she was.

Maybe she'll lower the punishment to only a few days...

* * *

"Dad? Are you okay?" Naruto tilted his head at his father who flashed into the room with his jutsu.

"Thank you Tobirama-sama..." Minato let out a breath he was holding and smiled shakily at his son. "I just spoke to your mother that's all." He barely made it out alive.

"Did you tell her about Deidara?!" Naruto grinned as he mentioned his newest and best friend.

"Yes, she can't wait to meet her in the future." Minato took no pleasure in lying to his son. He glanced at the clone who was seated at the opposite end of the room reviewing his shinobi tools and nodded once. The clone dispelled almost instantly. Minato's eyes narrowed as he sorted through the mundane memories of the _Kage Bunshin_. It seems he was missing some wire from his tools.

"When are you going to teach me that? Can I teach Deidara too? Can I blow up the clones?!" Naruto was radiating happiness as he jumped at his father. Minato caught him easily and ruffled his spiky hair.

"Soon. If you're anything like your mother then that jutsu will be easy for you to learn." He meant it, Kushina was a monster when it came to chakra, even without the Kyuubi. 'Crazy Uzumaki's...' He was secretly jealous.

"I'm gonna make them blow up." Naruto declared with a big smile. Minato knew exactly where this newfound love of explosions came from.

"Oh boy..." The Hokage reviewed the memories once more. It seems Deidara was taken for her training for the day. Ōnoki 'graciously' allowed him and Naruto to stay within his own mansion close to his office for their visit. This was mostly to keep an eye on them and not cause any issues with staying in civilian owned lodgings. Minato completely understood the old Tsuchikage's thought process. Even if they were aiming for an alliance, you could never let a potential threat roam the village carelessly.

"Dad let's go find the old man and Deidara. I have to show her something." Naruto pulled on his hand and tried dragging him towards the door.

"Woah there, we can't just go walking around the village looking for her Naruto." Minato replied, amused at his son's attempt to move him.

"She said they would be in the Tsoochikage's office after training."

"_Tsuchikage _Naruto." It was his duty as a father to correct his sons mistakes, coincidentally Naruto made quite a few. He had a feeling some were intentional.

"Yeah yeah, that's great."

Minato took offense to that.

'He's like a mini Kushina that took after my looks.' To think he'd unknowingly copy his mother's words.

"Come on!" Naruto pulled even harder on his hand and Minato relented. Ōnoki probably wouldn't mind too much, plus it was only a short walk to the office due to their residence in Iwa.

Naruto swung the room door open and began to run ahead at full speed after dropping his dad's hand. Minato was almost certain that he had no idea where he was going.

"Ow!"

"H-Hey!"

The Yondaime Hokage winced when his son rounded a corner and collided with another person. Judging by the voice, it was a child.

"Kurotsuchi? Are you... alright...?" A voice Minato recognized questioned. The father of Naruto rounded the corner and scanned over the situation. Naruto and a small black haired girl sat on the floor rubbing their aching skulls. The very large Iwa shinobi behind her was none other than Kitsuchi, the same man who escorted them to the village and was close to Ōnoki.

"Hey jerk! You ran into me!" The girl named Kurotsuchi pointed an accusing finger at the Hokage's heir. Pink colored pupils glared with all the anger a child could muster.

"Your head is really hard you know?" Naruto grimaced as he rubbed his forehead soothingly.

"My head is not hard!"

"It's like a rock."

Minato pinched the bridge of his nose as they began to bicker. Letting out a deep sigh he turned to the large man watching the interaction wearily.

"I want to apologize on Naruto's behalf. He's trying to get to the Tsuchikage's office to visit his friend and he doesn't tend to look where he's going." Minato sheepishly explained.

"That's alright Minato-sama." Kitsuchi inclined his head to the Hokage, showing much more respect that Minato would imagine from an Iwa resident. "My daughter has the same problem." He turned to watch his daughter interacting with the blond boy.

"Your hair is stupid and bright!

"Your eyes are pink! Pink is a girls color." Naruto's words left the girl offended.

"I am a girl you idiot!" She yelled back. Naruto squinted and looked at her from head to toe.

"...Really?"

"Okay I think that's enough you two." Minato leant over slightly to get closer to the arguing children. "Kurotsuchi-chan right? My son didn't mean to run into you, he's just excited to see his newest friend. Please forgive him." Minato smiled at who he quickly realized to be the granddaughter of Ōnoki. Kitsuchi wasn't surprised to find the Hokage being kind hearted towards his daughter, as judging by his interaction with his own son, the man was good with children.

Kurotsuchi turned her face away in embarrassment when she saw the soft smile on Minato's face.

"Kurotsuchi. At least answer Minato-sama." Her father reprimanded her slightly. Kitsuchi was completely aware of the ongoing alliance negotiations. Respect was essential here.

"Minato-sama? Why're you calling him that?" Kurotsuchi turned to her father.

"He is the Hokage, it is only right." There were a lot of reasons Kitsuchi would rather not disrespect the Yellow Flash.

"H-Hokage?!" The young girl squeaked out and turned nervously to the tall blond man. Minato continued to smile kindly at her.

"Dad, can we get going? I want to show Deidara what I made her!" Naruto completely disregarded the girl who seemed frozen as she stared at the Hokage.

"Alright alright." Minato made eye contact with Kitsuchi and cleared his throat. "We're off then Kitsuchi. It was nice to meet little Kurotsuchi-chan. Bye now." He held a hand out and Naruto grasped it in a heartbeat.

The Iwa father and daughter duo watched the two blonds turn their backs without a care in the world. Kurotsuchi broke out of her embarrassed state and faced her father quizzically.

"Dad? Is the Hokage super strong?"

Kitsuchi laid his hand on her shoulder gently.

"Yes. He's on a completely different level when it comes to being a shinobi." It was a bitter truth to admit, especially due to the pride he held towards his village.

"No way... Grandpa can definitely beat him." Kurotuschi told her father with crossed arms. "That's boys a dummy too! I'm going to get him back for running into me! I'll show him a rock..." She fumed about his comment about her hard head.

Kitsuchi didn't respond. His eyes watched the Yondaime Hokage laughing and smiling as he strolled down the hallways like he owned the place.

These peace talks and alliances that the Hokage was aiming for were the best course of action in Kitsuchi's opinion. For the entirety of the Elemental Nations.

'I'm glad Tsuchikage-sama finally set aside his stubborn nature and opened his eyes.' Kitsuchi thought to himself.

One thing was obvious to most of Iwa and even the other villages.

Minato Namikaze is not to be trifled with.

* * *

Ōnoki was far from a grandfather figure to the younger shinobi or children of his village. He never put much effort into crafting the image that Hiruzen Sarutobi was known for. Outside of his own family he could appear rather cold and unapproachable. Personally overseeing Deidara's training was not a decision he made lightly. The division of shinobi dedicated to explosions wasn't one that he favored as much as his predecessors, despite acknowledging and making use of their incredible skill. He ended up dismissing the girl for awhile, her obsession with art and strange personality didn't mesh well with an old man like him either.

When he found out about her innate talent for explosions, her bloodline and her compatibility with one of the villages forbidden techniques, he knew this could be a benefit to his village. Some may call it careless to let a child access a forbidden jutsu like that, but Ōnoki was no fool. This was all to better the village. Not to mention, with Minato now offering some knowledge to further expand their unique branch of shinobi, he was looking forward to increasing the power of Iwa's unique division of shinobi.

These factors all added up to Ōnoki finally putting more time and effort into training the girl. It was no small feat to gain the attention of a Kage and Deidara managed to do it. Even with his less than friendly attitude towards his newest student outside of training, one thing he noted about her was how standoffish and meek she could become when others criticized her interests.

When Namikaze's brat entered the room, that personality flipped completely.

"Naruto!" Deidara shot to her feet and ran to the grinning whiskered boy.

"Yo!" Naruto gave the girl and Tsuchikage a big wave. Ōnoki snorted at the kids attitude and turned his attention to the taller man in the room.

"Are we interrupting anything?" The Hokage asked his fellow Kage with a smile matching his son.

"No. We were just about done for the day anyway." Ōnoki stretched and bit back a yell at his aching back. He missed being young.

"That's good to hear. Any news from the Daimyō yet?" Minato was naturally curious. It wasn't often that Kage's submitted alliance treaties.

"I suspect it'll be a day or two until we receive a response. Heh, it appears he was shocked at such talks between our two villages in particular." Ōnoki chuckled to himself.

"I bet. We are hoping for the best though, right Ōnoki?" Minato closed his eyes and smiled serenely.

'He is something else.' Ōnoki eyed the peaceful Hokage. Any other shinobi would think that he had his guard down, or perhaps that he was just that arrogant.

'He's completely sure of his abilities.' The Tsuchikage was confident in his own skill and power. Against the Yondaime... 'He's even faster than that muscle head with his jutsu.' The old Kage has only doubted himself one other time in his life. There was one opponent that left him feeling nothing but despair...

Madara Uchiha.

Ōnoki suppressed any thoughts involving that demon in human flesh and finally responded to Minato's question.

"Yes. My village has a lot to gain after all."

His response made Minato laugh loudly.

"Indeed it does."

"Tsuchikage-sama? Would it be alright if I went with Naruto to the lookout above the village? I want to show him the view, yeah." Deidara interrupted the Kage's as she stood shoulder to shoulder with her number one fan and best friend.

"The lookout? Hardly anyone goes there so you brat's won't attract too much attention. No explosions though, got it?" Ōnoki told her with finality. The lookout over Iwagakure provided a nice view of the village and natural terrain. Most villagers tended to avoid it due to the resident jinchūriki frequenting the area.

Deidara looked like she wanted to argue that before Naruto grabbed her hand and turned to his father.

"I can go right?"

Minato rose an eyebrow and smirked in amusement.

"I half expected you to run off without asking." He enjoyed the pout on his sons face.

"Daaaad..." Naruto moaned pitifully.

"Fine. If anything happens..." Minato stared deeply into eyes that mirrored his own.

Naruto didn't respond verbally and a silent conversation passed between the two.

Deidara rapidly looked back and forth between the blond duo.

'That boy. He acts like any other child would at times, especially around Deidara, but I can't help noticing the resemblance when he speaks to Minato.' Ōnoki had a feeling that a second shinobi flashing around would haunt him into his retirement.

"Go on. Have fun you two." Minato continued to eye his son.

Naruto stuck a closed fist out to his father. The older Namikaze's lips twitched.

Fist met fist as Naruto finally broke eye contact and started to grin widely.

"Come on Deidara!"

"I- Hey! You don't even know where to go!" She shouted as he dashed out of the room with her being dragged along. She felt embarrassed when he still didn't mind the situation involving her hands.

Ōnoki sighed loudly as the loud footsteps disappeared into the hallways of his Kage mansion. Kids were a pain, almost as much as the one he gets in his back.

"Shall we discuss the smaller details for this arrangement Ōnoki? This isn't something we can forget after all. In fact, I spoke with Hiruzen-sama briefly since he's had experience with situations such as this. He proposed some interesting additions that the Daimyō doesn't need to approve of first." Minato seated himself on the uncomfortable chair from their previous talks and spoke with no hesitation. Ōnoki frowned at the mention of that old monkey before figuring it couldn't hurt to see what else he can gain from Konoha.

The aged shinobi never noticed a faint black marking disappear on his fellow Kage's palm.

* * *

"So... rocks." Naruto flatly stated.

"Yup."

"Only rocks."

"... Uh huh."

"Annnd... mountains."

Deidara felt her face heat up when she realized how... lame this view must be to those from other villages.

"I'm sorry it's not, um, cool? Yeah. I'm sure your village has way better views." Deidara visibly deflated as they dangled their legs over a large cliffside that overlooked the very rocky village.

Naruto looked away from the gloomy terrain and saw his friends downcast expression. He smiled and pointed a finger out to the largest mountain.

"Imagine if that blew up! How many explosives do you think it would take? Konoha doesn't have anything that you can easily blow up ya know? There's just houses and stuff."

Deidara's eye, the one not hidden by her long hair, widened slowly.

"You..."

"Oh wait a second!" Naruto reached into his pockets and searched for a second. "Aha!" He finally found what he was searching for and presented it to the girl.

Deidara eyed the white clay leaf symbol in his hands. That was her detonating clay.

"I made this for you. It's the symbol of my village! I even... borrowed some wire from my dad's tools to make it like a necklace. It took so long to get it right, and this clay is really hard to work with. I'm really jealous of how good you are." Naruto's happy face betrayed his supposed jealousy.

Deidara continued to stare at it as her stomach flipped. The symbol certainly didn't look perfect compared to the one she's seen displayed on his father's forehead, but it was how it was made that surprised her.

"Did you also 'borrow' this clay from me?" She quirked an eyebrow at him.

Naruto only smiled. She was reminded once more of his dad. The resemblance was startling.

"Maybe. Well, do you like it?" Naruto's smile quickly became lopsided as he felt nervous.

"You realize I can probably blow this up, yeah?" Deidara informed him with a smirk of her own. Naruto's face turned to panic in a flash.

"W-Wait Deidara-" He stopped when he she gently took the leaf insignia out of his hands. She wasted no time in placing it around her neck. It wasn't at all fashionable for a necklace, and an Iwa shinobi wearing a Konoha symbol was practically sacrilegious.

"I'm not going to blow it up." She told him as the necklace sat over her shirt proudly. "This is the first time... that anyone's given me a gift..." Her voice lowered as she revealed that information.

"What?!" Naruto jumped to his feet and pointed at the girl. "You're like super cool and your art is amazing! Why hasn't anybody given you a gift?" His question was so innocent that Deidara couldn't help herself from laughing loudly. She felt the necklace once more and ran her fingers along the familiar clay.

"That's not important, yeah. You gave me one so that's what matters right?" Deidara asked him as she rose to her feet as well.

"I guess..." He still didn't like hearing about her not receiving any gifts. As a young boy he simply couldn't understand it.

"Hey Naruto?" She called out to him while still staring at the makeshift necklace. Naruto titled his head at the girl.

"What's going to happen when you leave?"

That question stopped him in his tracks. He didn't even think of that.

"You're going to leave after your dad is done with Tsuchikage-sama..." That hurt her to think about. In the amount of time she's known him, she felt comfortable around him. She could be herself. They sat and spoke about explosions and her art and whatever they wanted for hours. He didn't judge her hands or her speech. She felt happy. Him being a resident of a different village didn't matter. He wasn't the scary Yondaime's son to her, he was just Naruto. Her number one fan and friend.

"Yeah, I have to. Dad is the Hokage so he can't be gone for too long either." Naruto felt his own sadness over this topic. He had friends in his village, even if Sasuke pissed him off. Deidara was different though. He's never had this much fun being around someone before.

"... What if they don't become allies?" Deidara looked at him with much more seriousness than a child should have. Naruto put his head down in thought. His fists clenched thinking that he won't be able to see his friend just because the villages don't want to work together.

"Then I'll still come see you! You're like my best friend. The villages can't stop me ya know!" If such a proclamation came from anyone other than a child it would seem ridiculous. There was also no conceivable way he can get to Iwagakure at his age alone.

"Really? You would still come to see me even if it doesn't work out?" Nobody ever wanted to be around her before, so to find this boy who was an outsider that enjoyed her presence still shocked her.

"Of course! You can even come see me in my village! I made you that necklace and Mom always said that Dad would leave her gifts before promising he'd be back for her. I'm making that same promise." Naruto wouldn't understand the connotation until he got older.

Deidara felt her eyes start to sting, and she knew that tears would follow. Closing them tightly, she put a huge grin on her face and responded.

"Naruto. Do you want to see another explosion?" She tried to hide the way her voice cracked with emotion because of his words and pledge to see her.

Naruto's eyes shone in excitement.

"Can we blow up a mountain?"

Deidara heart began to beat faster. The young girl didn't understand what it meant, she didn't even care at the moment. Naruto suggested something that made her want to jump for joy.

"We can try!"

Ōnoki felt a chill run up his aching back as he sat in his office.

* * *

"You certainly seem comfortable Hiruzen."

The Sandaime Hokage, who happened to be filling in for his successor, opened his relaxed eyes to see his old teammate. Removing the pipe from his mouth and placing it on the Hokage desk, he chuckled at the comment.

"You would be too if you could sit on this comfortable seat Danzō. They only make them like this in Konoha you know?"

"... I'm sure." The bandaged appearance of Danzō Shimura stared at his fellow elder.

"What brings you here? The Yondaime isn't around for you to complain about Iwa." Hiruzen leant back and faced the village from the large window.

"We both know the kind of man Ōnoki is. To think he's actually going along with this idea of.. peace is ludicrous." Danzō's cane impacted with the floor as he made his way to stare out at the beautiful village view. The concept of peace was foolish to him. It could never exist.

"People change. Is that concept so hard to understand?"

"I very much doubt that he's truly changed."

"Your Hokage seems to think so."

Danzō kept quiet as they observed the appearance of the bustling streets.

"Look at it from his perspective Danzō. The might of our village is great currently. Minato-kun is a force of nature on the battlefield. For a man like that to be offering an alliance in which Ōnoki benefits, well he'd be a fool to deny it."

"...This concept of burying the hatchet that your perverted student goes on about isn't something we can fully support simply because Minato is capable of decimating forces of shinobi. In the end, Konoha needs to benefit from these alliances first and foremost. Not to mention prepare for any deceit."

"And we will benefit. Our roots are simply spreading out to others. He knows what he's doing trust me. If there's any deceit, he won't fall for it." Hiruzen retrieved his pipe and placed it to his lips. "War isn't something we should be in the business of. We've seen enough of conflict for one lifetime and I feel this is a step in the right direction."

"Good luck with the Raikage and Mizukage agreeing to this." If Danzō wasn't a man who cared about his image, he would have snorted loudly at his own sentence.

"Indeed." Hiruzen caught the lone eye of his lifelong rival. "Have some faith though, our Hokage is full of surprises."

"You said it Sarutobi-sensei!" A loud voice yelled out as the door opened quickly. Danzō muttered something inaudible under his breath as they both turned to face the newcomer.

"Ah. Jiraiya, what brings you here?" Hiruzen asked his former student.

"I overheard your little conversation and couldn't help but come in. Also I may have been banned from staying at Minato's place..." The large white haired man admitted sheepishly.

"...Kushina?"

"You got it..."

"I am not surprised."

Danzō shook his head at the conversation and started to move towards the door. His own talk with Hiruzen was finished for the time being. The Sandaime watched him walk in silence.

"Hey Danzō." Jiraiya called the man and he stopped in his tracks without turning.

"My student always puts this village first, but he's doing this for a better future. So the old fence sitter is acting different, believe me, if Minato detected anything malicious then Naruto wouldn't be with him."

"... Fools." Danzō opened the door and decided to impart one last piece of information on them both. "Should things go awry, which they will, I will gladly lower myself to saying something along the lines of 'I told you so'."

The door shut quietly.

"That guy is way too paranoid and I'll never like him."

Hiruzen couldn't fault his students line of thinking.

"Danzō has always been like that. He wishes the best for our village before anything else. Even peace. I do as well, but my faith in Minato-kun is unshakeable." After speaking, the retired Hokage blew out smoke into the air.

Jiraiya scrunched his nose at the smell, waving a hand in the air. Even after all these years, he wasn't a fan of that damn pipe.

"How's Naruto-kun doing? You must know more than I do." Hiruzen questioned his student. He missed the ball of energy that was the perfect mix of his parents.

"Minato told me he's got a little girlfriend." Jiraiya laughed as he thought of Kushina's reaction.

"An Iwa girl? The times really are changing." He remembered a time where relations between the villages always ended in bloodshed.

"Get this though Sarutobi-sensei... she has mouths on her palms."

Hiruzen placed his pipe down on the desk before him and stared blankly at the toad sage.

"She has what?"

"Mouths. Apparently she uses some type of detonating clay that she molds with her palms."

"That is most certainly forbidden among their village. A jutsu of that caliber is certainly not normal nor wide spread among their forces. I've never heard of a shinobi that possessed... mouth hands..." The old man's eyes narrowed as he tried to recall ever hearing of such an odd technique.

"That brat has some really _different_ taste in females. Remember a year ago, he wanted to constantly be around Mikoto Uchiha, not that I can blame him." Jiraiya's smile turned perverted as he thought of the Uchiha woman.

"All I remember is Kushina's jealousy, claiming that Mikoto was using genjutsu on her son."

"Didn't she also accuse Hiashi of teaching his daughter how to use her Byakugan on Naruto?"

"Yes. I have nothing but the upmost respect for Minato. To be able to handle Kushina, his Hokage duties and a child, he's a different breed."

"Haha! Of course, I taught him everything he knows! There's nothing that he can't handle." Jiraiya grinned as he thought of Minato who was his perfect definition of a shinobi.

A shinobi is one who endures after all.

* * *

'Endure. Just endure.' Minato's smile was failing as he faced a large portion of Iwa shinobi. He stood next to a floating Ōnoki who had a palm permanently attached to his face.

"I purposefully said no explosives. What do they do? Cause gigantic rocks to come crumbling down onto the village." Ōnoki muttered as he felt a migraine approaching.

The various shinobi were torn between feeling amusement, anger, annoyance or even fear because of the Yellow Flash.

"Tsuchikage-sama, the civilians are panicking from the rock slide..." A random shinobi spoke up. Minato turned to the man and he watched the poor soul flinch at his store.

"Assure them that it was just an accident. A training exercise from the explosives division." Ōnoki tiredly told his shinobi before eyeing the two dirty looking children. Dirt covered their clothing and the boy even had some small rocks stuck in his spiky hair. Deidara and Naruto both appeared equally as guilty but Ōnoki could swear there was a hint of something peculiar in Deidara's uncovered eye at the situation. She was truly obsessed with her 'art'.

"Naruto... Deidara..." Minato approached the two and all the Iwa shinobi were on edge. "Apologize to Ōnoki and the shinobi for causing a disturbance like this. We are trying to all be friendly with each other and making explosives go off in the village are not the way to go about it." Tilting his head with a charming smile, the Hokage chastised the children. Whispers broke out among the shinobi surrounding the area, Minato paid them little attention.

"Sorry rock people..." Naruto sheepishly looked around at the large gathering. Some people seemed to hold back a smile at the way the mini Yellow Flash addressed them.

"I'm sorry too... yeah..." Deidara started to speak with her head down. Naruto watched his friend curiously. "... Sorry that the explosion wasn't even more amazing! Did you see my art?! Naruto! Those rocks stood no chance!" The girl grinned wildly at her friend. Naruto's own smile broke onto his face as he held his hand up, waiting for the girl.

While the two connected their hands in a high five, everyone watched the makeshift necklace bounce around Deidara's neck at her movement.

The symbol of _that_ village, worn around the neck of an Iwa resident. Nobody knew how to take it. Not even Ōnoki.

'That's my boy...' Minato smiled softly at the happy face of his son. Jiraiya may constantly preach to him about seeking out peace, but in the end it seems Naruto will be the one to help unite their villages.

"Don't say it..." Deidara's face burned bright as they disconnected their hands.

"But-"

"There's people around!"

"Can't your... hand mouths just stay closed when we do that?"

"I told you not to say it!"

The chuckling that occurred among the shinobi populace told Minato that he was right.

"I will purposefully make sure Deidara visits your village often to practice using explosives, Namikaze." Ōnoki remarked as he watched the happy Hokage's face drop into horror.

There was a lot more than just mountains and rocks for the girl to destroy in his village.

"... My wife is going to kill me."

"Not my problem."

The Tsuchikage and Hokage would never be best friends.

"Wait Deidara! When you come to my village, we gotta try out the explosives in the forest!"

"I can't wait!"

Minato was not pleased with his sons casual proclamation of deforestation.

* * *

**A/N - **Yeet. As a result of Minato and Kushina being alive, a lot of things are going to be changing obviously. This won't be the standard plot that follows the wave mission, then the exams, then the retrieval arc etc etc. Minato has his own goal because of Jiraiya and Naruto will find his in time, with Deidara of course.

I'm glad so many people enjoyed the first chapter and I really do wish I can update all of my stories more often but there's not enough time in the day lol. When summer comes around I'll be cranking out chapters consistently again._ Or try to at least._

And YO, I swear to god, The PM system on this site sucks. I don't even get the notifications in my email or anything. I'm not sure if this only happens to me but I hate it.


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